An Advanced New Years
by Epsil0nCha0s
Summary: Sequel to my Christmas special, 'An Advanced Christmas'. Contains advanceshipping. This is my new year's special, so happy new years!


**(A/N: I told you I might be late. I was kicked off the computer last night at 11 (that's right, I forgot until 10:30), so I didn't get to finish. Anyway, happy new year everybody!)**

**An Advanced New Years**

The five days flew by for Ash and his friends, ever since that unforgettable Christmas came to an end. They gained gifts from each other, and stronger relations between two of them.

"Ash, wake up." May whispered into the boy's ear. He was still asleep on the morning of New Year's Eve, in the Ketchum's house. It was nearing lunchtime, and May knew Ash wouldn't like if he missed it. "Ash, come on. Get up." she whispered, but he only rolled onto his back.

"…nnngg….I don't want any more pie…I'm full…." she sighed as she heard him begin to sleep talk.

"Alright, you made me do this." she said, then lowered her head. She placed her lips on his, and felt his lips curl into a smile. Ash felt her smile, then felt her hands crawl down his body. He began to feel tingly at the feel of her soft hands, then remembered the only reason she ever crawled her hands down his stomach. She was tickling him. He began to laugh as she lifted her head away from his, making him jump around and fall off the bed. He opened his eyes to see May lying on the bed, smiling at him.

"May, you know I don't like to be tickled." he rubbed his back as he stood up.

"I also know who you don't like to miss lunch." she said, then felt a small wind. She saw Ash had turned into a wind replica, and the real one was downstairs. She walked down and found him walking out of the kitchen with a burp.

"Thanks for waking me, May." he said.

"No problem. Now, I deserve something, don't I?" she asked in a shy voice, making them both smile. He wrapped his arms around her hips and pulled her towards him. He placed his lips on hers, and felt as she sank into it with her arms around his neck. When they parted, Ash stared at her.

"May…" he trailed off as he looked at the ground.

"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" she placed her hand on his cheek.

"No, I was just thinking about someone…" he sat down on the couch, followed by May.

"You know you can tell me anything, Ashy." she smiled at him.

"You also know I don't like that name." Ash said, making the girl giggle.

"I know. That's the reason I use it." she said. Then the door opened, and the two saw Brock in the doorway.

"Good morning, you two. Or should I say good afternoon?" he chuckled as he stepped in.

"He's hard to wake up." May told him.

"I am not! You're not very good at it." Ash said, making the girl hit him with a pillow. "Hey!" he glared at the giggling girl sitting next to him.

"Well, you two are obviously having fun on your love couch, so I'm going to give you some privacy." Brock said before leaving the room. Ash sighed as he turned on the television, flipping through the channels.

"Come on, Ash. It's almost a new year, we should do something memorable." May said as she squeezed her body beside his and lifted his arm around her head and on her shoulder.

"What do you want to do? Reunion party?" Ash flipped the channel again.

"Oh, I don't know….Wait, go back!" she straightened her back up as something caught her eye on the screen. Ash flipped the channel back a couple of times until May said to stop. There, on the screen…was an overview of Kanto.

"Oh, May, you didn't have to say it so alarmingly. I thought something bad was happening." Ash sighed relievedly.

"Well, excuse me if I want to see some interesting Kanto news." she huffed. They watched the screen as different stories came up about gym leader victories, or pokemon league dates. May watched intently as she saw different occasions happen through the region. Then, a familiar scene showed up.

"Wait a minute….we know that place." Ash said.

"Yeah…" was all May could say at the time.

_"Recently, civilians have been flowing out of the town to visit loved ones for the start of a new year. They may have long journeys, or small journeys, but they will arrive safely if the weather stays as predicted and the roads are open for travel."_

A reporter stood on the screen with a microphone and began walking down the streets, still facing the camera.

_"Now, let's get some personal interviews from these people. Excuse me, sir? May I have a minute?"_

_"Of course."_

A man appeared on the screen with a bushy beard, and was wearing sunglasses. He also had a scar on the left side of his neck.

_"Where are you headed for the new year?"_

_"I'm off to visit my family. I may be a good battler, but I'm still caring for my family."_

_"Awww, how touching. And there you have it, folks. Caring civilians throughout Hark town are leaving to visit the people they care most about."_

Ash smiled as he heard the man talk about his family, but then something caught his eye. Something in the background. There was a man, with a pokemon on his shoulder. He seemed to be riding on a dragon into the distance, but he couldn't make it out because the camera changed angles so quickly, giving him no chance to see.

"Let's go shopping! I hear they have a discount in Viridian City." May said as she thought of all the prices slashed over the holidays.

"You sound just like Dawn on Christmas." Ash sighed.

"Oh, I do not." May replied.

"I think so, too, believe it or not." came a voice from the stairs. The two looked over to see Dawn leaning on the railing. "You guys are noisy when you're alone." she rubbed her eye.

"Aha! See? I wasn't the latest to sleep in!" Ash shouted in victory, making the girls giggle.

"Yes. But the reason for that is because you kept me up all night with your cute-talk with May." Dawn told him.

"You heard that?" May asked in disbelief.

"Yes, you guys are terrible whisperers." Dawn giggled before walking into the kitchen.

"Are we really that bad?" Ash asked May. May only sighed and kissed him on the cheek.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go." May lifted him off the couch and pushed him out the door. They walked down the path of Route 2 until they reached the small town. May saw the few shops and sprinted for them. Ash found her with three shopping bags.

"You got that much already?" he stared at the bags.

"Yes, and that's not the half of it." she placed the bags in his hands and ran into another shop. He sighed as he walked for the door, but a conversation caught his attention.

"Hey, have you heard? The Viridian gym leader's coming back!" he heard a masculine voice say.

"I thought they banned him because of his evil organization?" a feminine voice asked.

"No, not that one. I mean the _original_. Don't you remember from when we were kids?" the man said, making the girl gasp.

"You don't mean….Lightning Strike, do you?" the feminine voice asked again.

"You better believe it. After all of these years of his training journey, it's complete." the man said. Ash walked over to the two, who were just around the corner.

"Hey, what did I hear about a Lightning Strike?" Ash looked at the man.

"You haven't heard of him? Well, he used to be a legend around here. He was the strongest gym leader in all of Kanto, until he decided to challenge the elite four. He beat Prima, Bruno and Agatha, but lost to Lance. He came back depressed, then decided to go on a journey to train. He was everybody's idol around here." the man explained.

"So where did he go? How long ago was this?" Ash asked.

"It was years ago. No one knows where he went, people in other towns were watching him as he shopped, walked, and left the towns. Then suddenly, one town lost track of him. He went in, but never left. They couldn't find him." the girl told him.

"Whoa…What was his real name?" Ash asked again.

"No one knows that, either. Only one person living in Pallet Town knows his real name. In case you want to know, he disappeared in Hark Town." the man said.

"Hark Town?" Ash asked.

"Yes. Small town hidden away by the peak of Mt. Moon. It always seems to snow there because of the mountain." the man said.

"Wow…" Ash wanted to ask more, but felt an arm drag him away. He looked around to see May with more bags.

"What were you talking about?" she asked as she handed him more bags.

"The Viridian gym leader is coming back, apparently. The very first one." Ash said as he balanced the weight.

"Oh, that's great! A great chance to strengthen yourself." she winked at him, making him smile. They walked home after some more shops, then began to head home. Then Ash stopped, making May look at him.

"Hey, May, can we stop by the Viridian Gym?" Ash asked her.

"Sure." she replied, then they walked to the building. When they got there, they saw a notice on the door.

_To all challengers for the Earth badge, we are closed at the moment, but will be revived soon! Our very own Lightning Strike is returning to Viridian! You may remember him from previous battles, so you should remember to be careful when taking on his prized pokemon!_

"That's strange. It doesn't tell you what the pokemon is." May said.

"That' just makes it even better! You don't know what to expect!" Ash tried to contain his excitement.

"Hey, did you see that guy riding the dragon towards Pallet?" May heard a voice say, but Ash didn't.

"Yeah. I wonder who he was?" another voice replied.

"I bet it was Lightning Strike. Remember his pokemon?" the first voice said.

"Yeah, they were hard to beat. How could anyone forget?" the second voice replied.

"I bet from all his training, his Terminator evolved." the first voice said.

"Wow, you think? It wouldn't surprise me if it was the strongest in the world." the voice said, then May heard the footsteps leading away from them.

"You…sure bought a lot…of stuff…." Ash panted as he struggled with May's bags, snapping her back into reality.

"Well, all the stuff I need. Makeup, clothes, the usual." she replied, then walked down the hill towards the house.

"Hello, honey." Delia greeted her son as they stepped in the door. Ash could detect a sense of madness in her tone, but shrugged it off.

"Hey, Mom. Where's Dawn and Brock?" Ash asked as he put the bags at the bottom of the stairs.

"They decided to go for a walk." Delia replied. Ash walked upstairs with some of May's bags, followed by her with the rest. They set them in Ash's room, and May wiped her forehead.

"Boy, these bags sure make me tired." she said.

"What! You only carried them a couple of feet! I was carrying them from Viridian City to Pallet!" Ash shouted as he fell on the bed.

"Yes, but you're a man. You're stronger than me." she giggled as she lay beside him.

"Yeah, but you still shouldn't complain." he said.

"Fine." she said, then rolled on his stomach. "Then what _can_ I complain about?" she formed a grin on the corner of her mouth.

"Nothing." Ash smiled, then put his lips on hers. She fell into the kiss immediately as she felt his lips against hers. When they parted, they heard something downstairs. Ash rushed down to see, but found Delia leaning on the counter.

"Hi, honey." she greeted.

"What was that noise?" Ash looked around the room.

"I knocked over this vase, I'm sorry if I scared you." she pointed to the fallen vase on the counter. Ash looked around the floor, then spotted something. When Delia started perking up the flowers, he picked it up and went upstairs. May was now standing and looking at the stuff on his dresser.

"I didn't know you were such a Pikachu fan." she smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"You should know that by now." Ash rolled his eyes. Then the door creaked, and Ash turned to see his rodent pokemon jump on his shoulder. "Hey, buddy. Did you go for a walk with the others?" Ash asked, earning a happy nod from the mouse. He jumped into May's arms, and nuzzled into her chest.

"We,, hello to you, too." she giggled with the pokemon. Pikachu crawled up May's arm and sat on her head. "Hey!" she picked the pokemon off her head and saw her hair was slightly frazzled.

"Nice look, May." Ash chuckled.

"Do you know how long it took to straighten that?" she asked, placing Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Then Pikachu's ears shot up.

"What is it, buddy?" Ash asked his loyal pokemon.

"_Pika pika pi ka chi chi."_ Pikachu replied in its native tongue. But Ash could understand some of it from the years they've been together.

"You felt it too, huh?" he whispered to the rodent who nodded. Ash pulled something out of his pocket, and Pikachu stared at it. "I found this in the kitchen. I could tell Mom was angry about something when I came home." Ash whispered to the mouse. Pikachu sniffed the item, then jumped down and walked out of the room. "Hey, where are you going?" Ash followed his pokemon who led him outside. Pikachu pointed to a bush, and Ash looked inside. He found the same thing he found in the kitchen and picked it up. "Now that I think about it…this looks like fur." Ash said, looking at the stuff in his hand. Indeed, it was fur. But who's?

"_Pika pi?"_ Pikachu asked.

"No, it couldn't be…" Ash replied to the mouse's suggestion. They both stared at the brown fur with a little orange on the end. "Well, whatever it was, it tried to get into our house." Ash said, replied by a nod. They went for a walk down the road of Pallet, and saw more of the fur in various bushes.

"_Pika pi."_ Pikachu jumped on the ground and crossed its arms.

"Okay, now there's a chance." Ash sighed. They continued down the road until they were at the hill that overlooked Pallet. "This town is so small, but holds a big mystery." Ash told the mouse. Then they heard a noise. A snore, if you will. Ash looked around, but only saw Pikachu and a tree. He climbed up the tree and saw two figures near the peak of the leaves. He climbed up with Pikachu until he reached the figures. One was a pokemon. Ash looked at the pokemon, then pulled out the fur from earlier. They were a match. The fur was from… a raichu. Pikachu gasped, waking the rodent up. It looked around, then saw Pikachu and hugged him.

"_Rai rai chu!"_ Raichu greeted.

"_Pikaa!"_ Pikachu replied, hugging its evolution back. Ash stared at the two, wondering how they knew each other. "_Pika pika chi kachu."_ Pikachu said.

"Wait. Are you saying….Raichu, are you the same from…?" Ash trailed off as Raichu nodded happily before he finished. Raichu jumped on Ash's shoulder and rubbed his cheek against Ash's. "It is you! From Hark Town! Then, that must mean…" Ash looked at the sleeping figure, and recognized it. Raichu shook the head, waking up the man.

"Wha….Raichu, what is it?" the man looked around, then saw Ash. He quickly crawled backwards until he was fully against the trunk of the tree. "Ash?" the man stared at the boy.

"Ashton!" Ash greeted happily, followed by Pikachu's cheer.

"What are you doing up here?" Ashton asked him.

"I found Raichu's fur in the bushes around Pallet. I found you sleeping here, and Raichu woke up. then we greeted each other, then Raichu woke you up." Ash explained.

"I see." Ashton replied.

"Keep looking. We've got to find him." came a voice from down the hill.

"He was spotted around here, so keep looking!" came a louder voice.

"What are they looking for?" Ash asked.

"Nothing! We should get going now." Ashton jumped down the tree on the opposite side as the people, followed by Ash climbing down. Ashton cautiously walked down the hill, then dove into a bush. Some people walked by, but didn't find him. Ashton peeked his head out, while Ash stared at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked as he stood beside him.

"N-nothing. N-nothing at all." Ashton stuttered as he ran towards Pallet. Ash caught up with him, and he was standing on the porch of Ash's house.

"What are you doing at my house?" Ash asked him.

"Mind if I crash here a while?" Ashton asked as he cautiously peered in the window.

"Sure. My mom went shopping today." Ash replied.

"Perfect. No awkward moments." Ashton whispered to himself, but Ash heard him. They stepped inside, and was greeted by May walking down the stairs.

"Ash! There you are!" May hugged the boy as he stepped in. Then she noticed Ashton behind him. "Who's this?" she asked.

"This is Ashton, a friend. He's going to hang here a while." Ash told her.

"Pleased to meet you, May." Ashton greeted.

"Thank you, it's a pleasure for me as well." May replied with a smile. Ashton sat down on the couch beside Ash, and noticed something about May that caught his attention.

"She's cute, Ash. I understand why you like her." Ashton surprised the boy.

"W-what?" Ash stuttered.

"I can tell she's your girlfriend." Ashton startled him again.

"H-how can you t-tell?" Ash stuttered again.

"I see the jewellery I gave you, and you admitted it was for your girlfriend." Ashton told him.

"I told you before, she wasn't my girlfriend at the time." Ash said.

"Well, she was going to be." Ashton chuckled as May walked in the room.

"What are you talking about?" she asked them.

"Memories." Ashton replied. May smiled, then walked upstairs.

"I'd say she's a keeper." Ashton whispered as he nudged Ash's arm.

"Okay." Ash replied. Ashton chuckled as the boy headed upstairs. He looked around, and saw all of Ash's trophies and badges on the mantel.

"Well, I'll be…" Ashton said as he looked at everything the boy had worked for. Ash and May were talking in Ash's room.

"How long will he be here?" May asked him.

"I don't know, he only said a while." Ash replied.

"How do you know him, anyway?" May turned to the boy.

"He's a close friend, ever since we became an item." Ash said.

"How?" May asked. Ash used his finger to shake her earrings and placed his otter hand on her ring. "He gave these to you?" she understood his little hint.

"Yes. He was very generous back in Hark Town." Ash said.

"I bet now he wants yo to return the favour, for whatever reason he's here." May said. They both lay there, unaware Ashton was outside the door.

"No, I'm merely just visiting some old family." the couple jumped as Ashton walked in the room.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Ash asked him.

"I was just exploring your home, when I heard your conversation. I felt like I should give you the true story." Ashton said as he sat down beside them.

"Okay. Why are you here?" May asked.

"I made a big mistake in my past. My wife had become pregnant, which surprised me a little too much. I was panicking from the idea of being a dad, so, without realizing, I left her. I didn't get a divorce, I didn't do anything but run. I left my wife with a 1 year-old boy." Ashton explained to the kids.

"But why would you leave your child and wife?" May asked.

"I don't know. I was just panicking from the moment, I guess." Ashton sighed.

"But family is a great thing. Especially if you're sharing it with the people you truly love." Ash kissed May on the cheek as he said.

"That's true, but I was reckless and not thinking straight. I went on a journey for training, and arrived into Hark Town." Ashton said.

"And then you decided to pay others for your mistake."Ash said, making May confused.

"You're right, kid. I created my own women dept. in the back of my house. Everything you ever need for a girl was in that back room." Ashton sighed.

"But…why didn't you go back to your family?" Ash asked.

"I was comfy in Hark Town. I had Pikachu to keep me company." Ashton said as he stroked Raichu's fur.

"So he hadn't evolved yet." Ash looked at the mouse.

"Precisely. A lady came in with a bag of thunderstones in her purse, and Pikachu was sleeping under the counter. One fell beside him, and he carried it on the counter. He handed it back to the women, but she didn't want it back. She wanted Pikachu to have it, in case he wanted to evolve. He didn't want to, so I put it in a safe place." Ashton opened his vest and revealed a bulged pocket. "A few days later, Pikachu said he wanted to evolve. Get a new look at life. I gave him the stone, and he became Raichu." Ashton finished.

"That's how evolution should be. Choice, not force." May said.

"I agree with you, May." Ashton said, then the front door closed which made Ashton jump. "Can you go check who that is?" he asked in a panicky voice.

"Sure." Ash said, wondering why Ashton had become shaky all of a sudden. He went down and saw Dawn and Brock in gardener clothing, and Ash headed back up. "Don't worry, it's only my friends." Ash told the man.

"Okay. Dawn and Brock, I assume?" Ashton said, making Ash jump in surprise.

"How did you….?" Ash trailed off.

"I just guessed." Ashton said. They all went downstairs, and Dawn and Brock staring at Ashton.

"Dawn, Brock, this is Ashton. He's a friend who's staying a while." Ash introduced them.

"Hello." Dawn and Brock greeted.

"Hello." Ashton greeted back. Then Ashton looked out the window, and saw a car pulling in the driveway. He looked though the car window, and ducked. He crawled into the kitchen, then out the back door. The door opened, and Delia stepped in.

"Hello, kids." Delia greeted as she carried the grocery bags in with Mimie behind her. She set the bags in the kitchen, and Ash saw Ashton peering carefully inside. When Delia turned around, he disappeared.

"What's up with Ashton?" May whispered to Ash.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Ash replied as he walked towards the door. He stepped outside and found Ashton in a bush. "What are you doing?" Ash asked him.

"Uh….smelling your beautiful flowers?" Ashton said uncertainly.

"Why are you hiding form my mom?" Ash asked again.

"Uh…." Ashton didn't reply before the door open behind Ash. Delia stepped outside, and saw Ash facing the bush.

"Are you talking to a bush?" Delia asked him.

"…" Ash could reply as he was confused. Delia stepped back inside, and Ashton poked his had out of the bush.

"Ash, you have to help me stay away from her." Ashton said.

"Why?" Ash asked again.

"Just because. Now, help me into the house without being spotted." Ashton rolled to the house wall and lay against it. Ash opened the window and saw no one, and let Ashton in behind him. Ashton looked around cautiously, then sighed. "Okay, I'm safe for now." Ashton sighed.

"How would you be in danger?" Ash asked him. Ashton was about to reply with stuttering, but a familiar gasp made them both freeze. Ash leaned over, to see Delia staring at the man with a shocked expression. Ashton didn't want to turn around.

"…YOU!" Delia shrieked as she grabbed her broom.

"Mom, no! He's a friend!" Ash tried to defend the man, but came to no prevail with the angry woman. Ash watched as Ashton dodged every swipe from the broom, then grabbed the wooden handle and took it away from the woman.

"I understand you're mad, but let me explain-" Ashton tried to defend himself, but was smacked another broom.

"I want you out of my house, NOW!" Delia tried to hit the man again, but Ashton repeated his actions and stole the broom.

"Please, listen! I wasn't thinking straight!" Ashton got hit by another broom. "How many of these do you have?" Ashton asked as he rubbed his gut.

"Lots!" Delia replied as she swung at him. He smacked the broom away, and stared at the woman.

"Ash, I want you to do exactly as I say." Ashton said without moving.

"Don't listen to him, honey. Now, smack him." Delia told her son.

"What? Who do I listen to?" Ash was confused.

"Me!" they both shouted.

Enough of this. Mimie, psychic." Ash said told the mime.

"_Mime mime! Mr. mime!"_ Mimie shouted.

"You won't hurt her, just lift them both up and keep them away from each other." Ash told the mime. Mimie sighed, then his eyes glowed light blue. The adults floated in the room a distance away foam each other.

"Let me down, Mimie!" Delia began struggling.

"No use. A Mr. Mime's psychic can go on for however long it wants, even if it falls asleep." Ashton told the woman.

"Don't tell me about my own pokemon, Ashton Ketchum!" Delia shouted.

"…K-K-K-Ketchum?" Ash stuttered. Ashton looked at Delia with the 'now-you've-done-it' look.

"I should have known you didn't tell him." the woman grumbled.

"I was avenge him from his past!" Ashto defended himself.

"Wait!" Ash shouted, making the adults look at him.

"…Tell me…the truth." Ash said. The adults looked at each other worriedly, then back at the boy.

"Fine, honey." Delia said.

"Okay, Ash. Even though you know the plotline." Ashton added.

"Wait….So the woman you left…and the child…?" Ash trailed off.

"Yes. Delia was my wife. And you…were my son." Ashton said.

"Ash, I didn't tell you because you would be devastated. I lied about your father, to protect you." Delia told him.

"…From what?" Ash asked.

"From your past. I left you and Delia because I wasn't thinking straight. I was afraid of being a bad father. I gave you something before I left. The night I left, I put something in your crib." Ashton said.

"What….was it?" Ash asked, forming a tear in his eye.

"It was Raichu's pokeball, Ash. Raichu hated being in it, so I gave it to you to remember me. Raichu always stayed on my shoulder, like your Pikachu." Ashton told him.

"I wanted to protect you. I was afraid of letting you go on your journey because you might have found him. I didn't know where he was, so I let you go." Delia admitted.

"…I…can't believe it…my father…" Ash was at a loss of words.

"If you let us down, we won't fight. I told you I came back to visit family, remember? That's why I came to your house." Ashton said. Ash nodded to the mime, who let them down gently. Ashton walked to Ash, and put his hand on his shoulder.

"The minute Raichu met you at the store, Ash, I knew you were my son. Raichu used to love playing with you as a baby, and didn't mind your stroking its Pikachu fur." Ashton said.

"We'll be a family again. Now, a full family." Delia joined the boys.

"…Ashton…Dad…." Ash hugged the man and let a tear roll down his cheek. Delia wiped it away as he pulled away.

"What do you say we go to Viridian? For family time?" Delia asked.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to Viridian." Ashton said.

"Why not?" Ash asked.

"I…uh…Well, I suppose you should know the truth. You see…I'm-" Ashton stopped as he heard people knocking on the door and saw a crowd outside the window.

"There he is!" a man shouted.

"Lightning Strike!" a girl shrieked.

"Lightning Strike? But, that's…" Ash trailed off as he looked at the man rubbing the back of his head.

"I was about to tell you…I was the original Viridian gym leader. They called me Lighting Strike because of Raichu, who was a powerful Pikachu." Ashton said.

"I see." Ash replied. Ashton stepped outside, and raised his hands to the crowd who began to cheer louder.

"Now, now! Calm down!" Ashton said, which made the group immediately stop.

"Wow, he really is respected." Ash said.

"Now, I heard from civilians that you want me to be the gym leader again." Ashton said, which made the crowd cheer again.

"I heard he already said he would be the leader again." Ash told his mother.

"No, they only said he was coming back." Delia corrected him.

"I'm not sure if I want to be your gym leader again. I have a family now, and I want to spend some time with them before I decide." Ashton told the crowd.

"Okay, sir!" a voice said.

"We'll give you your space." another voice said.

"Family time is always the most important." a feminine voice said. The crowd walked away, and Ashton sighed as he stepped back inside.

"Boy, the past hits you hard." Ashton chuckled.

"So…where should we go?" Delia asked.

"Let's go to Viridian. The crowd said I get my space, and I think they'll respect it." Ashton said. The family agreed, and walked towards the city (no pikachu, mimie or raichu). When they arrived, Ashton said they should go to the gym. They arrived, and Ashton bent down in front of the door. "Lightning Strike, reporting in." Ashton whispered, then the door opened.

"Code?" Ash asked.

"Don't have the key." Ashton chuckled as he stepped inside. He flicked on the lights and revealed the large battlefield. He stepped to the left wall.

"Lightning Strike is hungry." Ashton whispered, then the wall parted, revealing a pathway. They walked down the path, and stepped into a dining room.

"Wow!" Ash admired the room. Ashton stepped into the kitchen and prepared a meal for them. They had their dinner, explored the gym while talking about Ash's adventures, and then headed home. When they stepped outside, they saw a small boy standing beside the door.

"Excuse me, little boy?" Ashton greeted the boy, and the boy stared at him.

"Lightning Strike! Have you decided?" the boy asked.

"Well….yes, I have. You can tell everyone that I've decided to take the position again." Ashton whispered to him. The boy happily agreed.

"Yay! Lightning Strike's back, and I'm helping him!" the boy cheered as he ran away. The family headed home to Pallet.

"Well, that was a nice day." Delia said as they reached the porch.

"Yeah. I don't know what I was scared of." Ashton said as he opened the door. Ash rememberers something, then headed to his room. When he entered, he saw May and Pikachu tapping their toes impatiently, and Raichu talking to them.

"Where were you? You have to tell me these things!" she said impatiently.

"_Pika pika pi pikachu!"_ Pikachu added.

"I'm sorry. I was just out with family for the day." Ash said as he sat on the bed.

"Family?" May sat beside him.

"Yeah. You know, mom and dad?" Ash began to pet Pikachu as he sat on his lap. Raichu jumped on his shoulder and rubbed his cheek affectionately. "You must have missed me when I was a baby, huh? Ash asked the mouse. He happily nodded, but May and Pikachu looked confused.

"Wait. I thought your dad left you? And what do you mean 'from when you were a baby'?" May asked him.

"Oh yeah, you don't know. Ashton is my dad, and Raichu played with me as a baby when he was still a Pikachu." Ash said.

"Ashton's your dad?" May asked with wide eyes, along with Pikachu.

"Yes." Ash replied. Ashton stepped in the room, and Raichu jumped on his shoulder.

"Hey, buddy." Ashton greeted his mouse.

"Hey, dad." Ash said. Ashton looked at May, who didn't look confused, and realized Ash told them.

"Man, does the time fly. It's already 10:30." Ashton pointed to the clock.

"Almost new years." May said.

"Yeah." Ash agreed. Everyone went downstairs and sat in the living room. Everyone knew that Ashton was Ash's father after some time of explaining.

"I see." Dawn said.

"I understand completely." Brock said.

"Alright everyone, time for the countdown!" Ash pointed to the clock which read 11:59 with the second hand on the 9.

10….9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone started talking about the past year and the battles they' fought. Ash and May sat on the couch snuggled together, then Ash kissed her on the lips. They smiled at each other, then Has got an idea.

"Dad, what pokemon do you have?" Ash asked him.

"Do you really want to see?" Ashton asked him.

"Yes, please!" Dawn said cheerfully. Ashton looked at her, then stepped outside. Everyone followed him, then he pulled out five pokeballs.

"Well, everyone knows Raichu." Ashton said as Raichu hopped on the ground and waved cheerfully. Ashton tossed a black pokeball with two orange lines running all the way around, which everyone recognized as a luxury ball. The red flash dimmed, and a large dragon stood before them. It was large with small wings, and small antennas on its head. "Everyone, this is Terminator, my Dragonite." Ashton told them. The dragon roared its name, and smiled as it waved to the people. Ashton pulled another pokeball and enlarged it. The pokeball had a green top with three red marks on it, which they recognized as a friend ball. He tossed it, and revealed a large green tyrant with a metal plate on its chest. "This is Tyranitar, but I call him Tyrant." Ashton rubbed his hand on the pokemon's lowered head. It smiled at the humans, and waved a small arm.

"It's so friendly, I only know tyranitars that are violent." Brock said.

"That's the effect of a friend ball, Brock." Ashton said as he tossed another luxury ball. It flashed, and stars emerged from it. The stars cleared and showed a large dog, with golden fur. It had white fur on its tail, around its head and neck, and around its hind heels. "This is Arcanine, but he likes the name Blitz." Ashton stroked the large dog's fur.

"I thought they were orange, not gold?" Dawn asked.

"They are, normally. But arcanine is special. He was born this way as a growlithe, and he wanted to join me." Ashton told them. He pulled out a normal pokeball, then tossed it. The flash revealed a red human-sized bug, with pickers that had designs like a face. The pokemon had small wings, and a cheerful face. "This is Scizor, but he likes Beat." Ashton said as he stroked the pokemon's head. Ash looked at the five pokemon, then realized it was only five.

"Dad, don't you have six?" Ash asked.

"I do, but my last one shouldn't be released on land or in an area this small." Ashton said. Then, he got an idea. He headed down to the beach followed by everyone else, and saw the large amount of water area. "This will do perfect." Ashton said, then tossed a dive ball. The ball released a large snake-like body, with a large head and open mouth.

"Whoa! It's a gyarados!" Dawn said in admiration.

"She likes the name Aqua." Ashton stroked the large head.

"Wait! This one looks hug compared to normal gyarados!" Brock said as he stared at the body.

"Yes, Brock. Gyarados are usually around 6.5 metres, but Aqua is special. She was born as a magikarp that was 2 metres, not the usual 0.9 metres. So now, this gyarados is a record-breaking 7.6 metres." Ashton said as he stroked the large water serpent.

"Wow! You're amazing!" Ash admired the six pokemon of his father.

"Well, we're all happy family again!" Ashton said happily, earning a cheer from everyone. Delia and Ashton smiled at each other, then everyone else shared smiles with each other. Ash wrapped his arm around May's hips, making her kiss him on the lips. Ashton and Delia smiled as they saw the kids kissing. Everyone looked p at the sky, the dark sky of a new year.

**END**


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